Cardfight! Vanguard: Soul Union
by Ryouseiken
Summary: Taking place during the Link Joker Arc, follow the perspective of Kojiro Nakajima as his destiny intertwines with the arrival of Void and its corruption of Cray. He'll make memorable friends, dangerous enemies, and perhaps even find the one to cherish through all the hard times. Shingo/OC, YAOI! Unique pairing I know but serious writing, definitely give it a chance please.


**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard.  
**

**Ride 1: Vanguard Fight**

"I'm heading out now mom!"

Cardfight Vanguard. It's a phenomenon that spread rapidly throughout the entire world. To this day it's the most popular card game in existence, having become a daily part of many people's lives.

"Okay darling, have a good day at school!"

There have been hundreds of tournaments both at a small and national level held in the world. There are cards so rare that only the most skilled and fortunate of hands have been able to grab hold of them. The lore and backstory of Vanguard ran so deep that it's even suggested there's a whole other world out there. Just myths and fantasies, as people would say.

"Ah crap… where's my history book?"

The steps of the two-story house creaked as Kojiro Nakajima, a raven-haired teen made his way down to the first floor of his home. He briefly looked over the railing and to the room opposite him as he anxiously searched for his textbook. He muttered something under his breath and scratched the back of his head. He knew he left his book somewhere. "Where did I put it? …"

"Looking for something son?" A gruff voice spoke out from the family room, making Kojiro shift his gaze and sigh in displeasure as he saw a familiar green book being waved around in his seated father's hand.

Kojiro's father looked to be in his mid-40s and had a toned stature which was off-set by the preppie style sweater vest he wore. He glanced to his son while propping his glasses further up the ridge of his nose, a stoic expression on his worn face.

"You need to be better organized Kojiro. Honestly, just leaving your textbooks lying around?" He chided him which made Kojiro close his eyes and inhale deeply. Thankfully before having to say anything to him the day would be saved by his mother who peaked out from the adjacent kitchen.

"Leaving one textbook downstairs hardly counts as being disorganized Noboru." She said while looking to her husband, her long red hair fluttering with the wind that poured through the nearby window.

In his mind Kojiro was thanking her for the intervention despite how little it ultimately served him. His father stared at him longer with those steely blue eyes before gesturing him over. "I'm just giving him advice Jaylene. He needs to understand these sort of things, especially if he's going to take up in my footsteps." He rebuked much to Kojiro's chagrin. He grabbed the book from his father's hand and stuffed it into his shoulder pack, looking back at him with his own sharp, blue eyes before immediately doing a 180 towards the door.

"Thanks for the advice father." He responded dully before making his way out of the house, leaving his parents there to watch as the door swung shut and the shrinking figure of their son from the window as he walked away.

An uncomfortable silence followed before Jaylene looked to her husband, clutching the dripping rag in her hand. "Noboru…"

Noboru glanced to her and then back down to a bundle of papers on the coffee table, a deep sigh escaping his lips as he eased back. "…" He didn't have anything to say, or rather there didn't seem to be anything he _wanted_ to say. The only thing going through his mind was the fact he wasn't even addressed by their son when he left.

"… He'll understand eventually." Were the words that finally came as he went back to what he had originally been doing, examining and looking through the papers as his icy gaze trudged through the walls of text. "There's a reason for everything, even if it makes me look like a bad guy."

Kojiro made his way down the street with a look that suggested he had been tossed through the ringer and back, a lack of enthusiasm in the usually happy teen's eyes. "Follow in his footsteps…" He mumbled before glancing idly to the sky. His eyes followed the clouds that passed, taking in the brief tranquility of the neighborhood around him before the inevitable sound of bustling footsteps and conversations would flood his ears.

_'Sometimes I think he just says these things to see if I'll get all pissed at him… not going to happen father. As they say, silence is the strongest weapon.'_

Time passed by fast as Kojiro arrived in the city of Okinawa in record time, as expected finding his thoughts dampened by the many people talking and moving around him and being bumped into several times. It's the usual practice he went through every weekday that made Kojiro resent the fact they didn't have wider sidewalks.

He weaved around who he could until arriving at an intersection, glancing down briefly at his watch as a flood of pedestrians moved around him across the busy street. It's while he was waiting that someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Yo!" Kojiro cracked a smile at the voice and glanced over towards the person greeting him.

"About time you got here Masato." He said with a smirk.

The scrawny looking boy gave a toothy grin while knocking his fist against Kojiro's shoulder. "Hey I didn't take _that_ long. We still have time to hang out!" Masato gave the impression of someone who was stuck on a saltine cracker and salad diet. The green shirt that he sported looked to be two sizes too large for his lean stature and any muscle mass was non-existent. The young man looked like one could blow on him and he'd fall over.

"It'd be easier if we you know… went to the same school still. Oh how it absolutely blows still being stuck in Junior High." He slipped a hand over his forehead in dramatic fashion, gasping and seeming crestfallen. It would have worked... if Kojiro was ten. But instead the boy just stared at him amused, wondering if Masato really thought he was a Grade A actor.

"Oh how I feel for you. Poor Masato." Kojiro teased causing Masato to deflate and huff. "Just need to wait a year. Then we can experience the horrors of High School together."

"Oh please, I bet it's fun flaunting it over us juniors." He rebuked with a laugh, not believing the horror stories of what he's heard about high school for a second. "But hey, what do I know?"

Kojiro chuckled and smiled to himself as they stood around idly at the intersection, letting people pass by as they come and taking an occasional glance down at his watch. Their interactions always seemed to be like this, he thought to himself. Kojiro wouldn't change it for the world though.

"So…" He eyed Masato after pulling his gaze away from his wristwatch. "You excited for the exhibition this afternoon?"

"Am I ever!" If Masato wasn't excited before he certainly was now, clasping his hand into a fist while grinning broadly at his best friend. "I mean it was kind of obvious it would happen anyway, but getting to demonstrate with _you_… I'm pumped."

"What do you mean 'obvious'? The store manager could have picked any two of us to show off Vanguard." He said while scratching the back of his head, seeming genuinely perplexed although that didn't stop Masato's grin nor flattering speech.

"Well everyone knows you're the top Cardfighter here in Okinawa, Kojiro." He said, making Kojiro sigh in embarrassment. "Hey, it's true! I mean you're good enough that you could go play in Nationals I bet! Y'know, the _big leagues_!"

At that a bit of Kojiro's smile faded and his brow furrowed considerably. Despite what came across as a compliment, it didn't seem to have that sort of positive effect on him as one figured it would. "I wish…" He muttered.

Masato sweated, quickly realizing what he said. "Ohhh right… your parents are anti-fun."

"My _father_ is anti-fun." He corrected. "Mom doesn't mind what I do as long as it's not, well, illegal. Father though… well, he's convinced ANYTHING like Vanguard or even freaking Monopoly are going to be needless distractions. Because you know, I can't balance these sort of things with everything else. Absolutely not."

His voice dripped of frustration over the last bit as he could get _some_ of his father's points, but a majority of them were taken to more OCD, extremist standpoints; at least in his personal opinion. Kojiro looked away, his gentle and pleasant demeanor upon greeting Masato being smothered due to the topic of his dad.

Masato knew what this meant to. _'Shit… he gets like this a lot whenever his dad's mentioned.'_ He thought while hearing his friend out, having a feeling that something happened earlier which is making him speak out on his discontent a bit more than usual.

"These days he wants me to act and do things just like him. Just because he's in a big shot position at work, he feels like I have to follow his lead. Go figure, right?"

"I don't know why either. I've been to Shinsen Market, their sandwiches suck." One look after and Masato eeped and awkwardly laughed. "Bad time to crack jokes?"

Apparently it wasn't as Kojiro seemed to lighten up and drop the dark rain cloud hovering over his head, smiling and nudging his friend in the shoulder. "Nah… sorry I'm being such a downer. I shouldn't let him get to me like that."

"It's cool, you know I'm always all ears. I'm awesome like that!" That earned an eye roll on Kojiro's part. "I mean it just sucks that we got to sneak around to even do a damn Cardfight showing!"

Masato groaned as the game of keeping things secret from your parents lost its appeal before even hitting teenaged years. It was just a hassle now, they had to pass most of their outings as 'studying' just to play Vanguard at Masato's place or at the shop. "I wish your dad knew how great Vanguard is. I mean a lot of people take it seriously like a profession, that's gotta count for _something_."

Kojiro shook his head and raised a finger. "Not a 'respectable' profession… even if I was going that route, don't you think I tried that before?" He remarked with a smirk. "I made that argument when I told him I wanted to be a musician when I was thirteen. He thought it was the biggest load of crap that ever came out of my mouth."

Despite its serious delivery, Kojiro and Masato both found a way to laugh about it regardless. It was only when a beeping noise filled their ears through the thinning street and intersection that they realized it was time for them to part ways for school. It was a reality that made Masato sigh and ponder over the current situation.

"I can't wait till this year is over so we can go to the same school again. It hasn't even been that long and I miss it." He groaned in displeasure. In a way Kojiro found appreciation in his friend's words seeing how closely attached they are, practically like brothers. Not wanting _him_ to feel all bummed throughout the day, Kojiro jumped to the rescue.

"Well we can still hang out every day Masato; school's never stopped us before, neither has overbearing parents." He told him with a smile, coaxing a smile on the younger male's face. "So, I'll see you at Cardfight Point after school?"

Masato returned to his goofy, grinning self and bumped fists with Kojiro. "You know it!" They exchanged smiles before Masato began to walk the opposite direction of Kojiro's own school. Their school districts were relatively far from each other, this was just a suitable middle ground for the best friends to convene and spend a few minutes talking before making their way to class.

"Oh and be sure to eat more than the lunch special this time man! I'm pretty sure the wind could blow you away with what you're wearing!" Kojiro yelled with a grin to his friend, only earning a groan and a wave of his hand on Masato's part.

"Funny!"

Kojiro thought it was as he snickered under his breath, taking a moment before crossing the intersection himself in the direction of his High School. As he walked, his mind flashed back to their earlier discussion about his dad and his overly strict nature on just about anything 'silly' or 'time wasting'. As he joined the dozens of other drones walking down the street he looked to the sky again and exhaled deeply.

_'Vanguard isn't the only thing father would hold over my head either…'_

* * *

_A world quickly filling with chaos and destruction. Desperate pleas and cries of terrors filled the ears of those in the area. These were but a few things Kojiro heard and saw as he looked down from a plateau towards an ongoing battlefield._

_ He didn't question anything; his desolate surroundings, the restricting air around him that made it difficult to breathe. Even the sky itself which had an unsettling shade to it, most of which courtesy to its suns being eclipsed creating a blanket of darkness among the world._

_ Kojiro just stared down with troubled eyes towards the mass groupings of humans and other creatures who were intermixed with each other, swinging blades and flinging magic toward each other with violent results. It almost made it difficult to determine who was on each side until an obvious fact arose. Those that were good clearly had a brighter shine to them; their armor and in some cases, scales, being of different tones of silver and white._

_The enemy on the other hand would be hard pressed to be pegged as anything else. They had the look of evil to them, all of which having cybernetics of some sort connected to a majority of their bodies and many even looking completely mechanical with no signs of having been anything else. Whether humanoid or not, they each carried the feeling of doom and destruction with them from their sharpened eyes, enhanced armor, to those peculiar rings that wrapped around or hovered behind each of their bodies in different ways._

_Every second watched felt like an eternity as one side began to succumb to the savage strikes of its opponent, the inhuman creatures on what could only be guessed as the side of evil ripping into their prey with blade, magic, and tooth combined. Very quickly the fight was becoming one-sided in favor of the army of creatures with the black rings around and on their bodies._

"…_?!" Kojiro tensed up as immediately his gaze was stolen from the battlefield to the formation of an evil aura in front of him. He looked forward at the wisps of black and red energy spiraled together, manifesting itself in the form of… an eye. A demonic, bone-chilling eye that shot open and stared at him with such intensity that he felt it tearing into him from the inside out. His breath was stolen and he felt his body temperature drop several notches as it violently shook._

_And then…_

* * *

"… Nakajima-kun!"

"?!" Kojiro shot up from his desk with a start, his heart beating furiously in his chest and cold sweat dripping down his forehead. The area around him slowly took shape as his eyes adjusted to the real world, the teen slowly glancing upward only to find himself face-to-face with a very irritated looking teacher.

"I hope you found your nap most productive Nakajima-kun, you slept through my entire period after-all." He spoke with a hardened gaze, finger tapping along his forearm.

Kojiro paused and silently looked down at his desk. The dream he had was fresh in his mind still, giving him goosebumps at the mere remembrance. _'Again…'_ He sourly thought before looking up at his impatient teacher who leaned down towards him.

"This is the second time this week that you've slept through my period! Don't you understand you're here to _learn_ and absorb knowledge for the outside world? That sort of careless behavior is key in rejects and homeless people!"

"Aha, sorry sensei…"

His teacher only seemed to frown more as if frustrated by his casual response. He can't really blame him. "Your punishment is detention for the remainder of the hour!" He exclaimed to really dig into the boy's spirit. Normally it wouldn't but a certain showing later today put some genuine fear and anxiety in Kojiro's heart as he stared at his teacher in disbelief.

"You can't be serious… the whole hour?!" He questioned only to wince as his teacher slammed his hand down onto his desk.

"Yes, the whole hour!" He gestured then to the whiteboard behind him where an assignment was scribbled in the corner, no doubt the homework for the day. "I'll show some leniency and let you go ahead of time if you complete the assignment, but if not then you'll just have to sit there quietly and wait until I give you the word."

Kojiro glanced at the assignment then to his teacher again. "Oh, that assignment?" He blinked, shifting around the papers on his desk and pulling out one filled from top to bottom with text. He forked it over much to his teacher's surprise.

"Yes, th- wait, what?"

As he examined the paper he confirmed it to be the assignment he put up on the board just this morning. His face twisted to that of surprise and then absolute confusion. "This is definitely the assignment… but when did you have the time to do this?" He looked down at Kojiro only to be looking at an empty desk. The teacher blinked in confusion before being startled by the youth now behind him.

"I figured it'd be the next assignment so I finished it ahead of time. Today's an important day so I figured, be prepared." Kojiro explained while leaning along the doorway. His bag was slung over his shoulder with the papers that had previously been on his desk now messily crumpled inside as seen from the bent sheets sticking out of the sides. He smiled and gave a departing gesture to his stunned teacher. "Thank you for being so lenient sensei."

The teacher stammered over his own words, being outwitted by his own student. "W-Wait, that's not…" Before he could even finish Kojiro inched back into the hall and sprinted away, leaving him there in the empty classroom to ponder what the hell just happened.

_'Thank you intuition, you serve me well these days.'_ Kojiro thought as his lips curled into a broad smile, sprinting feverishly out of the school as if on a mission from god himself. As he ran his gaze shifted upward towards the sky as the images of those sinister creatures formed in his head. _'I wonder though… what's with these dreams I keep having?'_

It plagued his mind more than he felt it should. They were only dreams after-all. Kojiro just had to remind himself that as he made his way towards Cardfight Point, pushing the image of the creatures with the ominous black rings to the back of his mind. _'I'm sure it's nothing... yeah, nothing at all.'_

* * *

Kojiro panted as he arrived at the shop in a rush, leaning against the counter to catch his breath as several pairs of eyes shifted his direction. He glanced up and gave a weary smile as many widened ones were given in exchange. He wasn't late, Kojiro was giving himself a mental pat on the back at that.

"Oi, you made it!" Masato emerged from the back of the group with a grin, having to wedge himself in-between two taller boys just to get noticed. "I was almost worried you wouldn't!"

"Your lack of faith in me is inspiring."

He peered past Masato's shoulder towards those who were looking at them, many of which having already gathered around one of many cardfight tables in the shop where the exhibition would take place. "They're…?"

"Students from all the different schools here in Okinawa!" The booming voice came from behind and made Kojiro jump out of his own skin in surprise. He looked over his shoulder at the store manager who towered over him and pretty much everybody at a whopping 6'4". With his height and that voice, it's a wonder Kojiro didn't notice him earlier! "Didn't expect this sort of a turn-out huh? You're one of our most popular cardfighters and customers here so they just couldn't help themselves!"

Kojiro blinked and looked at the group here. They ranged from the ripe young age of 10 to 18. There had to be students from every possible school from elementary to his own high school! Many of the younger boys seemed to be smitten with him in their own way, eyes glistening with admiration.

The store manager grinned before raising a mic to his lips. "LADIES AND GENTS!" He yelled.

"Ack!" About half the student body fell flat on their faces as the manager's voice boomed throughout every square inch of the shop like a foghorn. Poor Kojiro got it the worse standing directly in _front_ of the man, twitching face-first on the floor. "So… unnecessary..." He groaned.

"We have a special treat for you today!" He exclaimed. "Here at Cardfight Point we're holding a special exhibition match for all of you novice and veteran players alike! It's sure to make for quite a SH-O-W!"

His attempt at sounding like Doctor O was horrific in so many ways, and everybody was counting the reasons why. The store manager reached down and hoisted a deadpan Kojiro back onto his feet by the back of his collar. "Today's match-up is going to include the one, the only, Nakajima Kojiro! As I'm sure all of you know, he is the number one Cardfighter this side of Okinawa and frequent patron of the number one shop also this side of Okinawa… Cardfight Point!"

"Way to throw in a self-advertisement there." Masato snorted along with several other kids.

"You sure like saying I'm number one, don't you?" Kojiro sweatdropped.

The store manager grinned and leaned down. "Your win-loss record says it all man. Don't be so modest!" He whispered into Kojiro's ear before returning to his mic and announcer persona, tearing into several innocent people's eardrums as a result. "And in the other corner is the kid who doesn't know the meaning of the word _tact_. Weighing in well below what's statistically normal of a 15 year old with a deck full of creepy-crawlie goodness, it's Yubi Masato!"

Masato thrust an arm up with a triumphant grin. "Thank you, thank you very much!" He exclaimed despite only the mild amount of clapping going on in the store. People were more surprised that Masato wasn't getting irritated over the borderline insults on the manager's part.

Kojiro closed his eyes and chuckled. "Masato…" He looked up and smirked at his excitable friend before walking over to the fight table. The various student bodies and customers moved to make room as Kojiro took his place on one side, pausing to glance over at Masato who at this point was done with his spontaneous cheering and now paying some attention to what's going on.

He grinned seeing Kojiro pull his deck case out from his bag, the casing having a beautiful black and blue sheen that glistened with the natural light pouring in through the display windows. In turn he pulled out his own case which was lime green in color, running over with a zip in his step to the opposite side of his friend and pulling out his deck.

"Sorry to say Kojiro but you're going down today." Masato declared with a grin.

The two boys shuffled through their decks to pick out their starting vanguards, Kojiro listening to his friend's declaration and shaking his head with a smile. "Don't forget, we're doing this to teach a lot of the newbies here how to play, not just to kick the other's ass." A few seconds pause before he cackled. "Although I'll be sure to kick yours as lightly as possible so it doesn't hurt too bad."

"Yeah, yeah." Masato placed his Vanguard face-down on the table as Kojiro did the same, the store manager taking his spot beside them as he continued to play the role of announcer for their fight.

"As you boys and girls know, to start the game off you need to have a deck of 50 cards, no more and no less! Then you pick out a Grade 0 unit and set it face-down like they just did and they act as your starting Vanguard!"

Kojiro looked to the youngest of the spectators, noting their confused looks and smiling. "In this game, all units are divided among four different grades: 0, 1, 2, and 3… strength in your units increase as you go up in grades but the important thing is that you balance your deck well among all four. The worse thing that can ever happen to you in Vanguard is being stranded without the ability to increase your power."

"So when you draw your opening hands, we each begin with five cards… and if there's any cards that suck or you don't like, you can mulligan which means shuffle back in whatever cards you don't want and draw again." Masato would explain, dropping his funny persona for the time being to explain to their juniors although the grin was still plastered on his face as if permanently stuck there.

Kojiro would show his hand to those watching, letting them lean in to take a closer look at the cards without allowing Masato to see of course. "Whenever possible you want to start off with a hand that has a Grade 1, 2, and 3 unit. That's where shuffling back in some cards to redraw comes in handy. In my case I don't need to."

"Lucky you." Masato grumbled, eliciting some chuckles from those older than them watching. He quickly shuffled in three of his five cards before drawing again, examining over his hand and nodding in quiet approval. "Great! This is much better!"

The store manager nodded, seeing both players were ready to go and bringing his hand down on the table. "Now then boys… picture it!"

"Really?" Masato looked at the manager exasperatedly. "You know I don't believe in that stuff." He rebuked.

"Oh just go with it Masato." He looked to Kojiro who flashed a smile. "It's practically a tradition of the game at this point… and really, there's something about doing it that makes everything a lot more exciting. Don't you think?"

"Not you too." Masato looked into his friend's eyes before sighing and closing his own. "Oh all right… outnumbering me like that." He snickered.

Kojiro would close his eyes as well, leaving the Store Manager to grin. He's heard this so many times on T.V, he just has to do it. "Right now the two of you are weak astral bodies that have appeared on the planet Cray, a world much like our very own!"

He cleared his throat and continued, many of the younger spectators gazing up at the manager in awe while the older ones only seemed amused. "On this world you've both been given two special powers. The first is the ability to summon units, the very creatures that live on this planet… otherwise known as 'calling'. And the other is to ride units, where your astral body projects itself into the fighting unit otherwise known as your Vanguard."

The air felt different, a lot looser to Kojiro and even Masato whose eyelids fluttered. Their minds began to warp themselves to the other world itself, Cray as it's called in the middle of what looked to be endless grassy plains. Kojiro could almost feel the chill of the wind as it passed by him, even as a so-called spirit.

"…"

Their hands slid to the top of their concealed Vanguards, fingers curling around the sides. "Now then boys… let the exhibition match between worlds, our planet Earth and Cray… begin!"

Both Kojiro and Masato flipped over their Vanguards, eyes shooting open. Despite his earlier objections and skepticism over the whole concept of 'picturing' their fight in another world, even Masato seemed more pumped up than usual as they both yelled.

"STAND UP, VANGUARD!"

"Megacolony Battler C!" Masato exclaimed.

_A burst of light appeared on one side of the plains just as the wind picked up dramatically. The particles of light engulfed that area of the battlefield like a shining pillar until dissipating a few seconds later, revealing a short but stocky looking cockroach wielding a dagger in its hand. Behind it were two of its cohorts, both with similar statures and wielding their tiny blades._ **(Megacolony Battler C – Gr0 – 5,000 Power)**

"Creeping Dark Goat!" Kojiro would declare with equal enthusiasm.

_On the opposite side of the insect trio a similar beam of light slammed down into the earth, a being materializing within the shining rays before they too dissipate. A goat of dark fur and horizontally slitted eyes stood where the light once was, its body accommodated by heavy armaments to protect from the inevitable attacks that could riddle its body in combat._ **(Creeping Dark Goat – Gr0 – 4,000 Power)**

"The players have flipped up their starting Vanguards!" The store manager exclaimed, hand clasping into a fist. "It'll be a battle between the Shadow Paladin clan led by Kojiro-kun, and the Megacolony clan led by Masato-kun!"

Kojiro smiled as he looked at his friend's Vanguard. _'Megacolony… yeah that's a clan for Masato all right. He loves insects… never could understand why.'_ He looked to those watching, balancing teaching them how to play while also giving this fight a serious go.

"Alright, I'll take the first turn. First, you draw a card." He said while drawing from his deck. "A player's turn is split among four phases; ride, main, battle, and the end phase. This is the ride phase, and during it you can take a card from your hand that's a grade higher than your current Vanguard and 'ride it', like so…"

Kojiro plucked a card from his hand and slammed it down over Creeping Dark Goat. "I ride Black Sage, Charon!"

_The goat's body glowed and shifted appearance, turning into a humanoid form. Where the high beast once was, now stood a woman of admirable stature with radiant white hair flowing with the breeze that coursed through the plains._ **(Black Sage, Charon – Gr1 – 8,000 Power)**

"What you guys want to pay attention for are the text below the card image. This indicates skills that the units have. For example my Creeping Dark Goat has a skill shown here on its card that activates when a unit rides atop of it." Kojiro pulled his initial Vanguard out from underneath and slid it to the rearguard circle behind Charon. "When I ride atop Creeping Dark Goat, I can move it to a rearguard circle like so."

He smiled and looked to his hand again, gazing among the remaining five cards before taking another and holding it out. "During the main phase you can call units from your hand, the power that the manager pointed out earlier. Calling units is essentially like calling for back-up, but you can only call a unit if its grade is equal to or less than your Vanguard. So…"

He brought his next card down onto a rearguard circle. "I call Witch of Nostrum, Arianrhod!"

_Beside Creeping Dark Goat manifested a woman of scandalous attire. She wore a skintight bodysuit with the midsection completely open, exposing a large portion of her front and belly button. In one hand she clutched a vial full of a grape purple-ish concoction that was bubbling at the rim. Around her floated half a dozen spellbooks which flipped constantly back and forth through their pages, buzzing with magical energy._ **(Witch of Nostrum, Arianrhod – Gr1 – 7,000 Power)**

"Can you activate skills during your main phase?" One of the youngest spectators asked, a kid easily around the age of nine or two who was standing on his tip-toes to see all the action unfolding.

Kojiro nodded and tapped a finger over Arianrhod's card. "Yup. Skills can activate during any phase really, it's a matter of how the skills are worded. In Arianrhod's case all I have to do is rest her like this," He explained while turning the card horizontally into the rest position. "And I can use her skill. I discard one card from my hand now and draw a new one."

He dropped a Grade 3 unit into his drop zone and drew a new card. "The player who starts first can't battle so I end my turn there."

**Kojiro – Turn 1 End  
****Hand: 4  
****Front Row: Empty-[Black Sage, Charon]-Empty  
****Back Row: Empty-[Creeping Dark Goat]-[Witch of Nostrum, Arianrhod]  
****Damage:**

"Hey, Kojiro…"

He looked to Masato who had this big, shit-eating grin on his face. Feeling somewhat deterred by the look he sweated, watching as he drew his card.

"Did you rehearse what you were going to say or something?" Masato grinned even wider at his friend's flustered look, having hit the nail on the head. "So professional sounding… almost like a teacher!"

"I didn't want to sound like a fool during such an important day!" Kojiro exclaimed with reddened cheeks as Masato laughed full-heartedly. _'God though, he's right.'_

"Okay okay, my turn then. Draw!" Masato drew his card and immediately slapped his grade one Vanguard down. "I ride Phantom Black!" He declared.

_The trio of blade-wielding cockroaches disappeared into thin air, leaving Masato's side of the battlefield barren for a few seconds until from the sky landed an oversized black ant with a disturbingly toned body, a packet of cigarettes being gripped firmly in its gloved hand._ **(Phantom Black – Gr1 – 8,000 Power)**

"Battler C moves back, then I call another Phantom Black to the rearguard!" Masato pulled Battler C behind his current Vanguard and thrust down the rearguard Phantom Black to the front row with his counterpart. He felt confident about his starting line-up, knowing a strong offensive early on would be necessary with what he knows about Kojiro's deck.

"Okay so now we get to the fun part! The Battle Phase." Masato grinned as he reached down to his Vanguard and turned it horizontal. "You declare an attack by switching your unit to rest position and deciding which of your opponent's units you want to attack. You can only attack front row units though, so remember that."

He then switched Battler C to rest as well. "Grade 0 and 1 units in the back row can boost the units in front of them for added punch and power, so I'm going to boost with Battler C and have my Vanguard attack Kojiro's!"

Masato grinned and reached to his deck. "When you attack with your Vanguard you check the top card of your deck and add it to your hand. If it's a trigger, then you can activate it straight away and get some seriously awesome benefits. Drive Trigger… Check!" He flipped his top card over and revealed it. "Shelter Beetle… Critical Trigger!"

**(DRIVE CHECK - Shelter Beetle – Critical Trigger)**

"Nice draw," Kojiro remarked as he looked to those watching. "Of course he forgot to tell you guys what a trigger looks like. It'll have a mark in the upper right corner… each has a different color, in the case of Criticals it's a yellow mark."

"Heh, my bad…" He scratched the back of his head. "In any case I give 5,000 power to my rearguard Phantom Black, and the critical to my Vanguard!"

_Phantom Black shot forward at Charon, the sage stepping back with a glare as the ant jumped and came down hard on top of her, slamming its foot straight into her chest._ **(18,000 Power, 2 Crits)**

Kojiro reaches to his deck, looking directly into the eyes of his opponent and friend. "Since my VG took a hit I need to check for damage now equal to the criticals. So… damage check… the first," He declared while flipping the first card, revealing it to be another Black Sage, Charon.

**(DAMAGE CHECK – Black Sage, Charon – No Trigger)**

"No trigger… and the second…" He mumbled while placing it in the damage zone, going back to his deck and revealing the top card and a big smile crossing his face as a shine emanated from it. "Draw Trigger."

**(DAMAGE CHECK – Abyss Freezer – Draw Trigger)**

Kojiro looked to Masato confidently, amused at the look on his face that clearly detested the sight of his trigger. "Triggers that come from damage checks work the same as drive checks… so Charon gains 5,000 power, and then I draw." He declared before drawing and adding the new card to his hand.

"Get ready you guys, you'll probably see about nine more draw triggers before the game is over from him." Masato prodded with a smirk before switching his rearguard Phantom Black to the rest position. "My rearguard will attack then!"

Kojiro wasn't concerned as the attack came at him for 13,000. He just smiled. "Won't be happening; when your opponent attacks you can use cards from your hand to defend and guard against them." He slapped a card down into the guardian circle between them. "Death Feather Eagle guards! When guarding you use the number on the side of the card to figure out the defensive power. If that number and your attacked monster's power is higher than the opponent's attack, then the attack will fail."

Masato grunted and pulled back. "Welp, that's about it for me then. Turn end!" He said.

**Masato – Turn 2 End  
****Hand: 5  
****Front Row: Empty-[Phantom Black]-[Phantom Black]  
****Back Row: Empty-[Megacolony Battler C]-Empty  
****Damage:**

"My turn; stand and draw." Kojiro declared, standing Arianrhod and drawing his next card. "I ride Knight of Darkness, Rugos!"

_A heavily armored knight, clad in black appeared in the place of Charon. He wielded his glimmering blue blade fiercely, twirling and pointing it at the insect army standing before his path._ **(Knight of Darkness, Rugos – Gr2 – 10,000 Power)**

"I call Triple Dark Armor to the rearguard, then activate Creeping Dark Goat's skill!" He exclaimed before flipping one of his two damage face-down, the method of 'counterblasting'. "By moving my goat to the soul like this," Kojiro slid Creeping Dark Goat beneath his Vanguard to show what he was talking about. "I can look at the top five cards of my deck, and if there's a Grade 3 among them I can add it to my hand."

_In comparison to Rugos, Triple Dark Armor trumped him in both height and the size of his weapon. His axe was as big as his torso and looked like it would be too difficult to hold with just one arm, yet he was doing it with ease as he propped it over his shoulder. Triple Dark's intimidating glare at Phantom Black ceased for only a second as a beam of light coursed behind him, glancing over to see his Goat ally disappear._ **(Triple Dark Armor – Gr2 – 8,000 Power)**

Kojiro set his hand down briefly to examine the top five cards of his deck. "…" Masato would notice it first, followed by many of their spectators. They'd see a peculiar glimmer in the teen's eye as he picked out his Grade 3, revealing it confidently to them. "Origin Mage, Ildona."

"Your ace, huh?" Masato murmured as he watched him add it to his hand and shuffle the remaining cards back into his deck. He prepared himself quickly for the incoming assault as Kojiro thrust his hand forward to his Vanguard.

"Rugos attacks your Vanguard!" He declared.

"Guard!" Masato threw his Shelter Beetle out to absorb the attack. With a defensive power of 18,000, there was no way Rugos would break through even with a trigger. Kojiro knew this right away too.

"Drive Check." He flipped over his card, revealing it to not be a trigger.

**(DRIVE CHECK – Dark Mage, Badhabh Caar – No Trigger)**

_Rugos came forward with a hard horizontal swipe of his blade in an attempt to bisect the ant in two. Before it could though a golden beetle appeared in the sword's path, absorbing the attack for Phantom Black and sparing him from a devastating blow._

Kojiro switched to his rearguards, switching them to rest. "With a boost from Arianrhod, Triple Dark attacks!"

"I don't guard!" Masato revealed the top card of his deck and placed it in the damage zone as the attack hit, smiling cockily at Kojiro. "Still in the lead."

**(DAMAGE CHECK – Tail Joe – No Trigger)**

"Turn end."

**Kojiro – Turn 3 End  
****Hand: 5  
****Front Row: Empty-[Knight of Darkness, Rugos]-[Triple Dark Armor]  
****Back Row: Empty-Empty-[Witch of Nostrum, Arianrhod]  
****Damage: Charon (DOWN), Abyss Freezer (UP)**

"2 to 1… Masato-senpai is in the lead." A kid murmured from the sidelines. His friend nodded, both of them very engaged with the fight and fascinated.

"Stand and draw!" Masato drew and grinned at Kojiro. "Time to get serious and show everyone what Megacolony can do! I ride… Toxic Trooper!" He placed his card down then pulled his rearguard Phantom Black to its respective back-row circle, continuing on with his turn in vigor. "I move Phantom Black back, then I call Bloody Hercules!"

_Leading Masato's allies into the next phase of combat was an insect of monstrous stature and intimidating appearance. Its species was unknown to the naked eye, concealed entirely by pieces of armor that didn't match with each other and almost seemed melded with its flesh. It wielded a gigantic, jagged rocket with green slits at the end with smaller but still menacing looking rockets embedded in its side, completing the Vanguard's atrocious form._ **(Toxic Trooper – Gr2 – 9,000 Power)**

_Meanwhile at the Toxic Trooper's side, Phantom Black leaped into the back to make room for a sturdier ally with an arsenal of weapons at its disposal. A bipedal beetle landed on the battlefield with two sparkling submachine guns in either hand, poised and aimed at the Shadow Paladins._ **(Bloody Hercules – Gr2 – 10,000 Power)**

"With a boost from Battler C," Masato eagerly began, switching the units in his Vanguard column to rest. "Toxic Trooper will attack Rugos! And with his skill, you can't intercept!" He declared albeit to the confusion of some of the spectators who were wet behind the ears when it came to Vanguard.

"Intercept?" One questioned.

Noting some of the confusion going around Kojiro jumped in, knowing the store manager who at this point was disturbingly staring at them would appreciate as much. "Intercepting is something Grade 2 units can do in the front row. Triple Dark for example, I could move him to the guardian circle to guard…" He explained, moving Triple Dark to the center as an example before returning him to his original spot. "… But now I can't because of Toxic Trooper. Speaking of, no guard Masato."

Kojiro looked to him and then to his deck as he revealed his top card. "Ah shoot…" Masato sighed and lifted it to show to everybody. "No trigger."

**(DRIVE CHECK – Megacolony Battler B – No Trigger)**

_Toxic Trooper hoisted the missile up in its hand and spun in place, a strange chattering sound escaping from its mask before throwing its weapon directly at Rugos, creating a large explosion that sent the knight skidding back across the grass. A puff of dust and smoke built up from the impact, hindering his field of vision._ **(14,000 Power)**

"Damage Check." Kojiro flipped the top card of his deck, the side of his mouth twitching in disappointment.

**(DAMAGE CHECK – Skull Witch, Nemain – No Trigger)**

Masato clutched his hand into a triumphant fist, his earlier words not being a fluke it seemed as he continued his move. "I activate Battler C's skill! I counterblast and send him to the soul, then…" He smirked at Kojiro. "I can choose one of your rearguards to not stand next turn. And I think I'll pick Arianrhod!"

_"!" Arianrhod found herself being bound to the spot, struggling desperately but not even able to shout out a magic spell as the webbing that manifested out of nowhere both silenced the witch and kept her locked in place._

"I just weakened your offense! How do ya like 'that'?!"

Despite a small victory there, Masato was still wary about Kojiro's field and more specifically his damage zone. He looked to it quietly, to the three cards set in place. _'He just needs one more damage and then he can use a limit break…'_ His gaze shifted, fixated on a particular card nestled in Kojiro's hand. He knew what it was, being the very one that Kojiro added with his Goat's skill. _'Ildona's skill would let Kojiro build up his hand like crazy… I bet that's why he is so calm! … Well tough luck pal, I'm not falling for it!'_

Despite his hyperactive personality, Masato had an intelligent mind tucked beneath that tuff of wild brown hair. He knew it, Kojiro knew it, anybody who was friends with him knew as much. "I'm going to outsmart ya today Kojiro! I boost Bloody Hercules with my Phantom Black and attack… your Triple Dark Armor!"

Kojiro lifted a brow in surprise as immediately his rearguard was flicked to the side into the drop zone, leaving him with only a bound Arianrhod who couldn't stand until after his next turn. With 18,000 Power versus Triple Dark's 8,000 defending power, there was no way he could guard without sacrificing a lot of cards in his hand. It was an effort he didn't want to exude.

"Heh heh… turn end!" Masato was on cloud nine at this point after doing some worthwhile damage to Kojiro's field.

**Masato – Turn 4 End  
****Hand: 4  
****Front Row: Empty-[Toxic Trooper]-[Bloody Hercules]  
****Back Row: Empty-Empty-[Phantom Black]  
****Damage: Tail Joe (DOWN)**

"My turn, stand and draw!" Kojiro switched his Vanguard to standing position and nothing else courtesy of Masato's tactic, drawing his next card and closing his eyes as he immediately pulled the one everybody anticipated him to use. "_Ancient magic of the underworld, drop upon my foes eternal judgment_! _Ride! Origin Mage, Ildona_!"

_ A beam of purple energy emerged from the ground and engulfed Rugos, the knight's armor fading with its corporal form seconds after. In its place an unarmed elvan man stood with glyphs and seals materializing around him. His lower half donned tattered white silk and bloody seals traveled upward along his exposed belly and chest, all the way to his face which ended right at the start of a ceremonial mark on his forehead. He stared at Toxic Trooper, forcing even him back a couple of steps._ **(Origin Mage, Ildona – Gr3 - 10,000 Power)**

A symphony of 'Oohs' and 'ahhs' escaped the crowd that gathered around the table. Masato naturally had an 'Oh crap' look on his face, watching his best friend as he moved. _'What's the worse he could do? … He can't use his limit break!'_

"I call!" Kojiro yelled, throwing down two more units onto the field. "Dark Apprentice, Meero, and Dark Mage, Badhabh Caar!"

_A scrawny man with lime green eyes and large leather boots appeared at Ildona's side, giving a far too casual and joyous gesture to the elvan man who closed his eyes in displeasure at the sight of him._ **(Dark Mage, Badhabh Caar – Gr3 – 9,000 Power)**

_Behind Ildona, another mage appeared but this time of a more conservative state both in appearance and persona. He was short, probably several inches smaller than Caar and a full foot beneath Ildona. He wore a large black robe with glowing green outlines along the bottom half and top, sheepish brown eyes staring from the shadows of his hood's interior._ **(Dark Apprentice, Meero – Gr1 – 6,000 Power)**

"Badhabh Caar's skill! I get to check the top card of my deck and if it's a Shadow Paladin, I can call it to a rearguard circle." Kojiro said while drawing his top card. Naturally his whole deck was made of Shadow Paladins so it was a question nobody needed to answer as he placed his card down in the final front-row circle. "Superior Call; Origin Mage, Ildona!"

"Oh man… that's a line-up." Masato sweated as he looked at the five units on Kojiro's side. It was quite a gathering and the sad thing to him was that Kojiro wasn't even done yet. He had hoped for such but that wish wouldn't come true this round.

"Now I activate Meero's skill! Counterblast!" Kojiro flipped a card face-down in his damage zone, smirking before taking the top card of his deck and placing it… into the damage zone as well, face-up. "I take the top card of my deck and put it in the damage zone!"

"! Shit!" Masato stepped back as he realized what this meant. Before he could even say anything more Kojiro went on the offensive, making him break into a sweat as the raven-haired teen switches Caar to attack. "Badhabh Caar attacks Toxic Trooper!"

"I, Intercept!" Masato pushed Bloody Hercules in front to block the attack, placing it in the drop zone afterwards as he let out a tsk.

It was the moment Kojiro was waiting for, reaching to his middle column and looking down at Ildona. "Here we go… boosted by Meero, Ildona will attack!" He thrust a hand into the air, the energy in the room suddenly shifting as if in dire anticipation. "LIMIT BREAK!"

"Limit Break?!" Many of the spectators exclaimed. In the representation of the battle on Cray, a purple seal exploded outward in front of Ildona. Limit Breaks were the ascension of power beyond what was once normally considered the limit. By breaking beyond those transparent barriers, one can achieve…

"Limit Break is a skill that can only be used when you have four or more damage!" Kojiro looked to the nervous Masato and reached to his own damage zone, flipping the remaining two cards face-down. "Counterblast… and then Badhabh Caar, Arianrhod, tribute your power to Ildona so he can exceed beyond his natural limits!"

_Arianrhod and Caar both looked to their Vanguard, watching his solemn expression and then nodding as their bodies dissipated into balls of magical light. Those balls of light shot towards Ildona at full speed, the mage reaching out and absorbing them into his hand and achieving an eerie purple glow around his body as he exceeded his limits. "Nnnhhhh…!"_

"I draw two cards, and Ildona gains 3,000 Power!" Kojiro drew his two extra cards then thrust his open hand down over his Vanguard, the card taking a bright glow. "And when he attacks a Vanguard, he gains an additional 3,000 Power!"

Masato gritted his teeth as he knew Ildona's power wasn't something he could defend against, not right now. "No guard!" He declared.

"Grade 3 units have an ability of their own. They might not be able to intercept but a Grade 3 Vanguard can do this…" Kojiro kept his energy and enthusiasm up for the turn even as he broke focus briefly to explain to the newbies, bringing his hand down to his deck. "Twin Drive… first," He flipped it over and smiled as a familiar mark was present at the corner. "Critical Trigger!"

**(DRIVE CHECK – Grim Reaper – Critical Trigger)**

"5,000 Power to my rearguard Ildona, and the crit to my Vanguard." Kojiro declared while adding Grim Reaper to his hand, flipping over the second of two drive checks. "And the second… no trigger. But I'd say I've just about tied things up." He boldly said.

**(DRIVE CHECK – Cursed Lancer – No Trigger)**

_Ildona unleashed a torrent of magic from his hand, jolts of that ethereal energy shooting out from his fingertips into the body of his inhuman foe. Toxic Trooper gave out a distorted cry that sounded horrific to put it lightly, its armor piece cracking from the force._ **(22,000 Power, 2 Crits)**

That hit did a number on Masato, reaching down to his deck and flipping over the top two cards. "Damage Check; first… and second…" Both times came up short, no triggers to be seen and keeping the balance of power in Kojiro's favor.

**(DAMAGE CHECK - Karma Queen – No Trigger)**

**(DAMAGE CHECK – Hell Spider – No Trigger)**

Kojiro wasn't done yet, having one more attack to go which he attempted right away. He was going for a full-blown offensive, no longer playing along. "Ildona will attack Toxic Trooper!" He declared.

"…" Masato gave a smug little smile even as the attack approached his Vanguard. He had something up his sleeve. "I don't guard!"

_The second Ildona's power wasn't as intense as his counterpart, not by a long shot, but it still dealt massive damage to the trooper who was now crumpling back with the second assault to its body. The armor piece just below its neck shattered completely, revealing deformed flesh underneath._ **(15,000 Power)**

"Damage Check!" Masato added the fourth card to his damage zone and grinned. "Draw Trigger! And for once its not on your side." He teased before reaching to his deck and drawing a card, bringing his hand total up to five.

**(DAMAGE CHECK – Raider Mantis – Draw Trigger)**

Kojiro was satisfied with the outcome of his turn, smiling. "Turn end… now I take a card from my damage zone and place it back into my deck to shuffle." He said before taking his only trigger in the damage zone, Abyss Freezer, and shuffling it back into his deck.

**Kojiro – Turn 5 End  
****Hand: 7  
****Front Row: [Origin Mage, Ildona]-[Origin Mage, Ildona]-Empty  
****Back Row: Empty-[Dark Apprentice, Meero]-Empty  
****Damage: Charon (DOWN), Nemain (DOWN), Mac Lir (DOWN)**

"Man… that was so cool!" One kid breathed, looking to Kojiro after his incredible turn.

"If this is what Vanguard's like, count me in." Another spectator remarked, easily around 17 or 18 years of age. The match was drawing a lot of positive attention which made the lurking store manager one pleased man as evidenced by the massive grin on his face.

Even Kojiro and Masato were into this, the power of this card game firing up both their hearts and souls. Everyone could tell they were passionate about this just from the look in their eyes.

"Alright Kojiro… I'm going to take you down this turn!" Masato declared as a fierce aura surrounded him, transparent but strong.

"Go for it Masato, I'll defend with every last card I can!" Kojiro rebuked as a similar aura took to his body, both letting loose their fighter's spirit.

Masato grinned and stood his units. "Stand and draw!" He declared before thrusting a card into the air, holding it high above him as his own incantation came to pass. "_Wings of fury, take flight! Demonstrate your unmatched power and lead your allies to glory! I ride Unbeatable Mutant, Abectrozeus!_"

_The new insect took form in the place of the smelly Toxic Trooper. Instead of the rancid scent of garbage, a fragrant smell sifted through the air filling the senses of all those within the battlefield. An unusual touch with a nasty side-effect soon to be revealed. A strange, armor-clad being appeared front and center, its body covered in a thick golden alloy, allowing only its multi-colored wings freedom via vertical slits in the back. The weapon it wielded seemed to be a cross between a trident and a sword, having the daunting length of the former while maintaining the shape of a blade from the base._ **(Unbeatable Mutant, Abectrozeus – Gr3 – 11,000 Power)**

_ The scent that reached the noses of the monsters began showing its true colors at least among the weaker willed. Among the three rearguards on both player's sides, only Ildona stood strong with narrow eyes. Both Meero and Phantom Black cringed and then buckled over as whatever the toxic odor was infiltrated their systems, shutting down their ability to properly breathe and making them keel over as they disappeared into thin air._

"Abectrozeus's skill… all Grade 1 and lower units on both our sides are retired!"

Kojiro frowned and placed Dark Apprentice, Meero into the drop zone, Masato following with his own Phantom Black before continuing with his turn. He had a completely empty field save for his Vanguard, rectifying that within seconds.

"Call! Megacolony Battler B! Lady Bomb! Phantom Black! Hell Spider!" Masato threw his cards out; Battler B behind the Vanguard, both Lady Bomb and Hell Spider filling the two front-row circles, and his now third Phantom Black card behind Lady Bomb. He only had one card left in his hand now. He was being serious, he was aiming to beat Kojiro this turn.

_The army assembled before the two Ildonas. In the back lines were Battler B, a swarm of drill-wielding bee warriors prepared to lend their support to their Vanguard and leader as they buzzed violently, and the all familiar Phantom Black who exhaled a smoke ring from its mouth into the air and stared at the magicians ahead of them._ **(Megacolony Battler B – Gr1 – 6,000 Power)**

_ In the front row came the practical representation of 'Beauty and the Beast'. The former took shape as a beautiful, humanoid ladybug with sparkling red eyes beneath her visor, stretching and looking towards Ildona almost like a piece of meat._ **(Lady Bug – Gr2 – 9,000 Power)**

_On the opposite side of Abectrozeus was Hell Spider, living up to its name with a ferocious stature and an evil glare. It slammed its hands several times into the earth to emphasize its intimidation factor, readying to assail the poor mages and bring them to their knees._ **(Hell Spider – Gr3 – 10,000 Power)**

_'Almost a full field…'_ Kojiro thought, looking to his friend and the confident posture he had. It was rather unsettling for the fighter side of him. _'He's really confident he can beat me this turn?'_

"Time to show you the true terror of Abectrozeus…" Masato murmured before thrusting a hand out. A black seal exploded out in front of Abectrozeus, signaling its ultimate technique. "LIMIT BREAK!"

Two of Masato's cards in the damage zone flipped face-down on their own. And in turn…

_The rearguard Ildona found himself in an enormous bind, facing similar constraints like Arianrhod did minutes before and this time from Abectrozeus himself. Strands of sticky silk materialized around him, forcing the mage down and pinning both his hands and his robe to the earth._

"His limit break skill; he prevents one of your rearguards from standing next turn… and he gains 10,000 power!"

Suddenly Kojiro found himself facing a Vanguard with 21,000 power and that was without boosts. It was a daunting position to be in suddenly, even with the buffer of having only three damage.

"I'm going to win Kojiro." Masato gave a toothy grin, the words leaving his lips smoothly like butter. He was eager, hungry for the win against his friend who's held the best win-loss streak in the entire shop. "Get ready!"

"!" Kojiro hunched down, tightly gripping his hand of seven. _'Here it comes!'_

"Hell Spider attacks!" Masato declared while switching it to rest. It was obvious all the attacks were going towards Kojiro's Vanguard, his only support being stuck in rest his next turn after-all.

"Guard!" Kojiro threw a card out, his Cursed Lancer.

_As Hell Spider shot out an enormous web from its mouth, a darkened knight materialized in front of Ildona to absorb the blow, wincing and shattering into nothingness._

Masato frowned, although having expected his weakest attack to fail. He wouldn't let his next suffer such a fate though. "Boosted by Battler B… Unbeatable Mutant, Abectrozeus attacks!"

Kojiro felt his friend's energy as it flooded over the table onto his side of the battle zone. He could feel his determination and he knew this attack would hurt, a lot. "No guard…" He bravely said.

With a smile Masato reached down, putting faith in his deck as he began to reveal the first card. "First Check," A familiar shine encased his vision. "Got one, a Draw Trigger! Power to Lady Bomb… and I draw!"

After drawing, he'd flip over and reveal the second card, another shine emanating out and making many in their audience gasp. "Got another, a Critical Trigger!"

"Double Trigger…?!" Kojiro gasped.

**(DRIVE CHECK – Raider Mantis – Draw Trigger)**

**(DRIVE CHECK – Shelter Beetle – Critical Trigger)**

_Abectrozeus was an intimidating opponent. Even Ildona recognized his strength and prepared a magical barrier in an attempt to damper the incoming charge from the mutant. Alas it was all in vain as Abectrozeus broke through his magical defenses, slamming his enlarged blade across Ildona's chest causing him to let out his first real cry the entire fight. It was an enormous wound, caused by such a menacing enemy._ **(27,000 Power, 2 Crits)**

"Ahhh!" Kojiro stumbled back as the image in his mind of Ildona being attacked was more effective than even he expected. The top two cards of his decks floated off and over onto the damage zone as if guided by the wind, none of which revealing any form of triggers much to Masato's bubbling excitement. He could feel an actual victory in his grasp, it was unbelievable!

**(DAMAGE CHECK – Triple Dark Armor – No Trigger)**

**(DAMAGE CHECK – Moonlight Witch, Vaha – No Trigger)**

"This is it!" Masato yelled as the audience watched with baited breath, the brunette reaching to Phantom Black and his empowered Lady Bomb. "With a boost… Lady Bomb is going to finish you off!"

_Lady Bomb shot forward with the increased boost from Phantom Black, fiery bombs manifesting in her hands which enlarged thanks to the two triggers powering her up, launching them directly at the weakened Ildona who was hunched over after Abectrozeus's attack._ **(27,000 Power)**

Kojiro frowned as well and swiftly yanked a few cards from his hand, tossing them into the guardian circle. "Guard!"

_Just before the finishing blow could be struck to the heavily bruised magician, three units appeared in front and defended him with their entire bodies. As Ildona looked up he found the trio to be none other than the Grim Reaper, an armor-clad woman known as Darkness Maiden, Macha, and Abyss Freezer. All three let out similarly pained shouts before shattering into particles, leaving Ildona unharmed._ **(30,000 Power)**

"Unbelievable!" The store manager, after acting as the impromptu announcer at the beginning, spoke his first real words as the fight reached its climax. The spectators were equally stunned, both from the offensive onslaught of Masato and the defensive display of Kojiro.

Masato was dismayed at the sight of the three guardians. His chance of winning quite possibly slipped from his fingertips right then and there although he didn't want to give up. He wasn't prepared to. It was during that moment of disappointment that he was able to look on the brighter side of things, letting out a little laugh which caught Kojiro by mild surprise. "Man, I should have known you'd be able to guard that!"

He shook his head and grinned, not seeming to be upset at all. "I mean you made that deck to be really defensive… I thought I had you there, I really did."

**Masato – Turn 6 End  
****Hand: 4  
****Front Row: [Lady Bomb]-[Unbeatable Mutant, Abectrozeus]-[Hell Spider]  
****Back Row: [Phantom Black]-[Megacolony Battler B]-Empty  
****Damage: Tail Joe (DOWN), Karma Queen (DOWN), Hell Spider (DOWN), Raider Mantis (UP)**

Kojiro waved a dismissive hand, not convinced for a second. "I'm just lucky. If I didn't draw Meero like I did before, I wouldn't even be standing here probably." He said before giving a warming smile to Masato, wanting to bolster his spirits. "Besides, you might still win here. If I can't do two damage to you then I pretty much lose, and you got a lot of cards in your favor to defend you."

"Kojiro…" Masato smiled happily as the boost in self-confidence was both necessary and appreciated. Having his best friend support him like that was really a heartwarming feeling and convinced him to keep faith that he might be able to win next turn, if there is a next turn. "Alright then, bring it on Kojiro! Let's see what you got!" He challenged.

"You got it; stand and draw!" Kojiro couldn't stand his rearguard Ildona so he had to rely on just his Vanguard and the four cards now in his hand.

"I call Abyss Healer and Badhabh Caar!" He declared, placing the former behind his Vanguard while Badhabh Caar took his place in the only open front row circle. "Then I activate Caar's skill!"

He drew and gave a hopeful look to the card he pulled, smiling and revealing it to Masato. "Superior Call! Black Sage, Charon!" Kojiro tossed her down behind Badhabh Caar, raising Masato's stress levels little by little. He only had so much defensive power to work with.

"I call… Origin Mage, Ildona… and Arianrhod! This Ildona is retired." Kojiro placed the new Ildona card over the old one, effectively retiring and placing it in the drop zone while Arianrhod took her newfound place behind the mage. Suddenly Kojiro had a full field to work with again, having utilized every single card to its maximum potential.

"Alright! Boosted by Arianrhod, Ildona attacks Abectrozeus!"

Masato looked down to his hand and sweated profusely. He only had the two triggers from his prior turn to guard with, and Lady Bomb. He barely had enough shield power to defend against everything although he'd sure as hell try! "Guard! Shelter Beetle!"

_The familiar golden beetle appeared before Abectrozeus, being zapped to nothing but a puff of smoke from the rearguard Ildona who glared at his failure attempt to get a strike in on the larger insect._

"Boosted by Abyss Healer… Ildona will attack your Vanguard! And LIMIT BREAK!" Kojiro yelled out as he flipped the only two cards left in his damage zone that were face-up, face-down. "I draw two cards and Origin Mage, Ildona gains 3,000 Power!"

His power rose dramatically to 21,000. Masato knew he wouldn't be able to guard against it: measuring his shields against what he had to deal with, he only had 10k worth. He needed to hope for the best and pray for no trigger. "I don't guard!"

This was the ultimate decider. If he didn't get a trigger here, Kojiro would no doubt lose due to a lack of defensive capabilities both in his hand and field. After taking the rested Ildona and Arianrhod and placing them into the drop zone he reached to his deck, breathing deeply before flipping over the first card. "Check."

It was Dark Metal Dragon; no trigger. Masato felt a bead of sweat drop down the side of his face. Everyone was practically chewing their own nails waiting for the inevitable flip of the second card, the store manager included who's resorted at this rate to chewing the nails of one of his poor customers!

"Second Check…" Kojiro placed his index and middle fingers atop of his card and closed his eyes tightly, hoping for the best and flipping it over. A symphony of gasps filled his ears. As Kojiro opened his eyes he would find himself holding not just any trigger but a critical in his hands. Death Feather Eagle to be exact. He paused, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Then…

"Got one! Critical Trigger!" He yelled much to Masato's shock.

_ Origin Mage, Ildona brought his hands together to build up a massive amount of magical energy. He concentrated it until the size was ten times that of a bowling ball. It would do the damage needed, Ildona thought contently to himself as sweat poured down his own tattooed face._

_ He heaved and then shot it forward, the magical ball literally tearing through the earth underneath as it reached its target. Abectrozeus attempted to swing his blade in a desperate attempt to cut the ball of energy in half but found his weapon immediately shattering at the simplest of impact. "! AGHHHHH!" He let out a loud, humanoid cry as he was engulfed by the dark energy, feeling it tear into his body._

As this occurred the last two cards flew into Masato's damage zone, neither of which were triggers and officially bringing him up to six damage. Per the rules of Vanguard the game was over as the Store Manager decreed.

"Per the rules of Cardfight Vanguard, the player who brings their opponent to six damage is the winner! As such… the winner is Nakajima Kojiro!"

The audience exploded into cheers. Although it wasn't the biggest crowd they were all pumped up by the sight, many of them speaking out in excitement. "Man that fight was AWESOME!"

"It really was! I might actually have to buy a deck for myself now."

"Me too!"

"And me!"

Masato looked to his six damage before letting out a defeated sigh. It was never fun, losing, but at least he could do it with his closest friend. It was obvious he held that sentiment as he looked up at Kojiro not with disdain but with delight over the match, extending a hand out across the table. "Awesome match man! I almost had you there… maybe next time." He said with a grin.

Kojiro gave a smile as he took Masato's hand and shook it, obviously happy to take him up on that offer. "You're on! We'll definitely do this again." He planned on it as those around them swarmed the store counter in an attempt to buy their first Vanguard decks, the newbies in any case who were pumped up after the exhibition matched.

Everything worked out as planned. He was able to hang out with his best friend, do the exhibition match, inspired a lot of people, and got his own heart and soul fired up and even more in love with Vanguard than ever before. Kojiro smiled and looked outside the store window, already eager for the next day to come as this one was coming to an end.

"Next time for sure…"

* * *

"What?!"

Kojiro's voice boomed through his house and rocked every single ornate pot and trinket that decorated the thin walls. It was well into the evening time now with a deep, orange hue flooding through every house's window including the Nakajima household. What might be a beautiful scene for most though, felt like hell for Kojiro as he stared at his parents in shock.

"What do you mean we're MOVING?!"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Custom Cards:**

_**Dark Apprentice, Meero  
**_**Gr1/Human/Shadow Paladin  
****6,000 Power/5,000 Shield  
****Auto: [Counterblast 1] When this unit is placed on VG or RG Circle, if you have a "Shadow Paladin" Vanguard, you may pay the cost. If you do, place the top card of your deck in your damage zone, and at the end of that turn, choose a card from your damage zone, return it to your deck, and shuffle your deck.**

* * *

"Hey guys, Kojiro-kun here!" Out of nowhere popped out Nakajima Kojiro himself, a wide smile plastered on his face. "In this little section, me and my friends will talk about… well… anything really! For this chapter I have to ask you guys, did you notice the usage of Japanese Honorifics?"

He smiled and bumped his hand against a nearby whiteboard, flipping it around to reveal a sizable list of honorifics. "-kun, -senpai, and –chan are a couple of examples that were used here! In all honesty the writer wants to stay true to the Japanese version of the anime so he's trying his best to properly integrate these things into the story."

'Because the dub is a creature we don't talk about in these parts!" Masato popped his head up from the nearby door, causing Kojiro to groan and drag him in by the collar.

"Yeah exactly, so why did you bring it up?" He smiled and pointed a finger to the whiteboard, the honorifics now gone in place of a title. "Next time on Cardfight Vanguard! **A New Life? Roar, Naoki Ishida**!"

"Man, this is going to be intense!" Masato chirped.


End file.
